Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib urges action against Hungary’s obstructionism, pushing for the suspension of voting rights through Article 7 amid EU presidency handover concerns.
Belgium, the current holder of the rotating Council of the EU presidency, is taking the extraordinary measure of urging EU governments to think about moving ahead with the procedure to deny Hungary — which carries over the presidency next month — voting rights.
“We have a Europe that is making difficult headway, with unfortunately some states — one state in particular — increasingly adopting a transactional, blocking and veto attitude,” Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said in an interview.
What’s Prompting Belgium’s Push for Article 7 Activation?
She advocated increasing the EU’s Article 7 censure procedure against Budapest — an unnecessary move that can result in a country having its voting rights suspended. “I think we need to have the courage to make decisions: go right to the end of Article 7, activate Article 7 right to the end, which provides for the end of the right of veto,” she stated.
The European Parliament started the first phase of the Article 7 procedure against Hungary in 2018, but the process has slowed. The next step of that procedure, utilised when a country is considered at risk of violating the bloc’s core values, is often called the “nuclear option” because it delivers the most serious political sanctions the bloc can set on a member country — the suspension of the right to vote on EU decisions.
How Has Hungary’s EU Presidency Raised Concerns?
Hungary is assigned to take over the presidency of the Council of the EU in July, giving Budapest more ability to set the EU agenda and priorities for six months, even as Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orbán persists in obstructing EU decision-making on important matters from military aid to Ukraine, to sanctions against Russia, to take the next action to welcome Kyiv into the bloc.
Why Does Belgium Insist Hungary Assume Its Presidency Term?
“This is a moment of truth,” Lahbib said. “Either we face up to our responsibilities, which requires political courage and willpower. Or we put in place mechanisms that don’t work. And so we have to choose.” “If we go all the way with this mechanism, it must work. If it doesn’t work, we have to reform it. That’s the future of the European Union,” Lahbib stated.
Frustrated over Budapest’s blocking actions, other European countries are considering clever ways to get around Budapest on crucial EU decisions, such as targeting Russian exports without requiring unanimity. Some EU leaders are also offering to give Hungary a weak portfolio in the next European Commission, despite Budapest’s wish to maintain the prestigious enlargement job.
The European Parliament and EU heavyweight Germany have examined Budapest’s ability to helm the Council of the EU starting July 1 — but Lahbib expressed Belgium insisted that Hungary should take its planned term. “It’s also a reminder that being a member of the European Union signifies respecting values, having rights, having access to funds, being part of the single market, respecting the values of freedom, freedom of expression and the independence of the judiciary,” she stated.
“That is why Hungary is now under the Article 7 procedure and increasingly isolated,” she added.
